Contents

Chapelry History

Knotty Ash St John the Evangelist is an Ecclesiastical Parish in the county of Lancashire, created in 1836 from Walton_on_the_Hill_St_Mary,_Lancashire Ancient Parish. The foundation stone of the Church was laid on June 26th, 1834, the following inscription being engraved on a brass plate, which was laid in the plinth stone:

“On the 26th day of June Anno Domini, 1834, this Foundation Stone was laid by Adam Dugdale Esq. of Dovecot House, on land given by him for the erection of this church for the service of the Church of England; it is dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, and was built by donations and subscriptions.”

The church was consecrated 18 February 1836.

Knotty Ash is a small area on the eastern fringe of Liverpool and neighbouring districts include West Derby, Old Swan, Broadgreen and Dovecot.

It derived its name from a gnarled ash tree, and was made famous in the United Kingdom by stand-up comedian and local resident Ken Dodd and his Diddy Men concept. In 2004, Mr Dodd planted a new ash tree close to the site of the original (outside the Knotty Ash pub). According to the 1969 BBC children's television programme Ken Dodd And The Diddymen, the fictitious Diddyland, boasting the highest sunshine rate in the world, was situated in the centre of Knotty Ash.

The modern parish team ministry is within the deanery of Huyton of the Diocese of Liverpool which was formed from the historical Diocese of Chester.

KNOTTY-ASH, an ecclesiastical district, in the district parish of West Derby, parish of Walton-on-the-Hill, union and hundred of West Derby, S. division of Lancashire, 4 miles (E.) from Liverpool, on the road to Prescot. The situation of this locality is very beautiful, and its air salubrious; it contains several handsome mansions, and some of the principal merchants of Liverpool have seats and villas here. Knotty-Ash House is the property of the Worrall family. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of Trustees; income, £150, with a good house. The church, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, was built in 1836, and is a handsome edifice in the early English style, with a tower surmounted by a spire. There are schools in connexion with the church.

Resources

Civil Registration

Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records

Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

Census records

Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Poor Law Unions

Probate records

Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Lancashire Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers

Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.